Steelers News: Signing Steven Nelson as a free agent was money well spent

It has been a one-of-a-kind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Unable to attend most player pro days and participating in the NFL’s first virtual draft, the Steelers keep pushing forward toward a return to football activities. Just because the Steelers are unable to hold their typical OTA’s doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at the Steelers most expensive free agent they have ever acquired.

Let’s get to the news:

• Steven Nelson is living up to his free agent contract with the Steelers

The Steelers’ most expensive UFA, Steven Nelson, might turn out to be one of the best

By: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

It was an on-field partnership forged in an unconventional way, at least relative to virtually every one that had preceded it in Pittsburgh Steelers history. They are a pairing not put together via the draft, nor by way of trade or even of a mixing of any two means of acquisition.

But the signings of Joe Haden and Steven Nelson have provided the Steelers with one Dynamic Duo.

“We’re like Batman and Robin,” Nelson said in a video call with media earlier this week.

“We bounce off each other, and we’re both highly competitive guys. I think we feed off each other on the field. If he makes a play, then I feel like I have to make a play. So I think we pair together very well.”

After years of draft misses and stopgaps and mediocre play at cornerback, the Steelers finally starting hitting the jackpot by paying out a relative jackpot of cash to address their needs on the free-agent market.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• The Steelers will be traveling the second fewest miles of any NFL team in 2020

Steelers’ 2020 schedule stays close to home

By: Jeff Hartman, DK Pittsburgh Sports

As most fans know, the NFL creates their schedule using a predictable method. All divisions are paired up with two other divisions, one from the AFC and another from the NFC. With a team playing their division rivals twice a year, six games, the two paired divisions, eight games, it leaves two games to be decided. Those two games are the two teams from the non-paired divisions who finished in the same rank.

For the Steelers, the AFC North is paired with the AFC South and the NFC East in 2020. Outside of those teams, they will play the Bills and Broncos, who both finished second in their respective divisions. And there you have it, the Steelers’ 2020 schedule.

With that out of the way, it is worth noting how far the team will be traveling during the upcoming regular season. With no games further west than Dallas, the Steelers’ travel itinerary has them second-to-last as it pertains to expected miles traveled.

Who is traveling the least? The Ravens.

Check out the top ten, and bottom five, teams in regards to travel in 2020, this per John Breech of CBS Sports:

2020 NFL Travel Miles

(Road games where team travels more than 2,000 miles in parentheses)

1. Seahawks: 28,982 (5)
2. Chargers: 22,228 (3)
3. Rams: 22,004 (4)
4. Dolphins: 21,183 (3)
5. Raiders: 20,967 (1)
6. 49ers: 20,368 (2)
7. Bills: 20,066 (2)
8. Cardinals: 19,456 (2)
9. Cowboys: 19,286
10. Patriots: 19,266 (2)
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28. Colts: 8,772
29. Bengals: 7,516
30. Browns: 7,342
31. Steelers: 6,600
32. Ravens: 6,420

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Taking a lot at James Conner’s fantasy value for 2020

Draft or Pass: James Conner - Are You Going Back to the Well?

By: Ben Heisler, Sports Illustrated

Last year, Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner didn’t repeat his monster 2018 season. Should fantasy fans value him to return to his peak or was 2019 his new trend?

It’s never too early to start your fantasy football research, and we here at SI Fantasy want to provide you with the best information possible heading into your drafts. Our “Draft or Pass” video series takes a closer look at a fantasy player that will be debated often leading up to fantasy drafts. Are our hosts targeting this player specifically? Are they avoiding him entirely?

Today’s video focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner

James Conner Draft or Pass at current ADP: 44 (RB24)

For years, Le’Veon Bell was the gold standard of PPR running backs with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2018, Bell chose to hold out for more money and a long term deal, a daunting task for the vast majority of running backs in today’s NFL. The Steelers didn’t flinch, and Bell would go on to sit out the entire season.

Enter James Conner, a third-round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh who, in his first season as the starting running back, ripped off 1,470 total yards from scrimmage, scored 13 touchdowns, and finished as the sixth-highest scoring running back in PPR formats.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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